When did Missouri become a state?

Missouri became the 24th U.S state on Aug. 10, 1821. The capital city was first located in Saint Charles before it was moved to Jefferson City in 1926. Missouri was the first state to lie entirely to the west of the Mississippi River.

There was ongoing conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the U.S. Congress at the time of Missouri's admission. Missouri was a slave state and was allowed statehood only through the terms of the Missouri Compromise. This compromise prohibited slavery in the portion of the state north of 36 degrees 30 minutes north latitude. The Missouri Compromise was repealed in 1854 by the Kansas-Nebraska Act.